Overseas Drivers

The requirement to change your overseas driver licence to a Victorian driver licence depends on whether your stay in Victoria is temporary or permanent.If you are in Victoria on a temporary visa, you can drive on your overseas driver licence for as long as it is current providing it is in English or accompanied by an English translation or International Driving Permit. There is no requirement to get a Victorian driver licence.If you have entered Victoria on a permanent visa issued under the Migration Act 1958, you may drive on your overseas driver licence for:

six months from the date you first entered Australia if the permanent visa was issued before you entered Australia; or,

six months from the date when the permanent visa was issued to you if the permanent visa was issued to you whilst in Australia.

If you want to continue driving in Victoria after this time you must change your overseas licence to a Victorian driver licence.New Zealand residents who hold a current licence are treated as interstate drivers.Eligibility to qualify for a Victorian licenceVictorian full driver licenceTo obtain a Victorian full driver licence you must:

be 21 years of age or older; and

hold an overseas full driver licence; or

have held an overseas probationary driver licence for at least three years from your 18th birthday (you must provide evidence).

Your overseas driver licence must be current or not expired by more than five years. Any period where you have been suspended or disqualified from driving is excluded when calculating the period of time you have held a licence.Victorian probationary driver licenceTo obtain a Victorian probationary driver licence you must be at least 18 years of age. No exemptions apply.An appropriate probationary period (P1 or P2) will apply, depending on your age and the amount of time your overseas driver licence has been held (you must provide evidence). Any period where you have been suspended of disqualified from driving is excluded when calculating the period of time you have held a licence.You will be issued with a P1 probationary driver licence if you are under 21 years of age and have held an overseas driver licence for less than 12 months from your 18th birthday.You will be issued with a P2 driver licence if you:

are under 21 years of age and have held a driver licence for more than 12 months; or

are 21 years of age or older and have held a driver licence for less than three years

Victorian learner permitYou must be at least 16 years of age to obtain a Victorian learner permit (at least 18 years for a motorcycle). No age exemptions apply.Licence translationsIf your licence is in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an English translation. The translation is at your own cost.VicRoads only accepts translations completed by:

a NAATI accredited (any level) translator, or

an official translation from the country of origin, or

appropriate consulate in Australia.

An International Driver Permit is acceptable as a translation of a driver licence.Note: An international driving permit is only valid if it:

complies with the UN convention for International Driving Permits, and

is issued by the country the overseas driver licence is issued in; and

is accompanied by a current overseas driver licence from the same country the permit was issued in.

An International Driving Permit is only acceptable as a translation of a driver licence if it shows the first issue date of your overseas licence, licence number and expiry date of your licence. If this information is not displayed on the permit you must provide an acceptable translation as explained above.

Applying for a Victorian driver licence

To obtain Victorian driver licence (full or probationary) you need to make an appointment to undertake a road law knowledge test, hazard perception test (HPT), eyesight test and a drive test (unless you are exempt from the test – see’Exemptions from licence tests’ below) at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre. You must complete and pass the road law knowledge test and hazard perception test before you attempt the drive test.If your overseas driver licence is no longer valid for driving in Victoria (see above information regarding permanent visas), you will still be able to undertake the driving test, as you are exempt from holding a learner permit for the duration of the test.Exemptions from licence testsIf you hold a driver licence from a recognised country or if you are 25 or over from an experienced driver country you are not required to undertake any tests. This is provided your overseas licence is current or not expired by more than five years. However, you still need to make an appointment to changeover your licence if you are from these countries.Important:If your overseas licence (excluding New Zealand) includes a heavy vehicle category (eg. truck or bus licence), you must still complete a full heavy vehicle licence test to convert it to the equivalent heavy vehicle category in Victoria. See About heavy vehicle licencesTo be able to be tested to convert your overseas heavy vehicle category over to a Victorian equivalent, you must first apply for an exemption from VicRoads. This exemption will allow you to apply to be tested to convert your overseas heavy vehicle licence to the Victorian equivalent immediately. If you do not apply for the exemption you will have to wait at least 12 months before you can be tested. To apply for the exemption, you must provide a letter with supporting evidence showing how long you have held that heavy vehicle category overseas and a copy of your overseas licence. If the licence is not in English, you must also supply an official translation. See the ‘Foreign language documents’ section in the Using an interpreter or translator page to find out how to get your licence officially translated.Send your exemption application letter to:VicRoadsExemptions53 – 61 Lansell StreetBendigo VIC 3550Recognised CountriesVictoria recognises the driver licensing and testing standards in the countries listed below.

Austria

Finland

Isle of Man

Netherlands (Holland)

Sweden

Belgium

France

Italy

Norway

Switzerland

Canada

Germany

Japan

Portugal

UK

Croatia

Greece

Luxembourg

Singapore

USA

Denmark

Ireland

Malta

Spain

Guernsey

Jersey

Bosnia & Herzegovina

1. for licences first issued on or after 1 April 19912. for licences first issued on or after 2 Jan 2004Countries where ‘driver experience’ is recognizedIf you are 25 years of age and older and hold a licence from the following countries you are eligible to change your driver licence over without being tested. If you are under the age of 25 years and hold a licence from one of the following countries where “driver experience” is recognised, you will be required to undertake the road law knowledge, hazard perception (HPT) and drive test.

You can book the driving test and knowledge tests for separate days if you wish. If you are making your booking over the phone, you must pay by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) at that time to make sure you secure your appointment.Important: You must bring the appropriate evidence of identity documents with you when you sit for your learner permit or licence test. If you do not have the appropriate evidence of identity documents, you will forfeit your appointment and test fees.Cancelling or changing your appointmentIf you want to change an appointment you will need to pay another appointment fee. The test fee can be transferred to a new time (or refunded if the test is cancelled) if 24 hours notice is given. Failure to provide at least 24 hours notice will result in you forfeiting your appointment and test fees.FeesRefer to the driver licence and learner permit fees for the information on the following fees:

Appointment

Knowledge test (only when undertaking the knowledge test as part of your overseas licence conversion)

Hazard perception test

Driving assessment

Driver licence card – 10 years or 3 years

There are no concessions available for appointment, test or licence fees.Evidence of identityOn the day of your appointment you need to bring original evidence of identity documents.You must have:

your overseas licence and an English translation

one primary evidence document (eg. Australian birth certificate or passport)

evidence of Victorian address if not included on secondary evidence document (eg phone bill, bank statement)

One of these documents must have your signature on it.It is your responsibility to provide evidence of the status of your licence. You are required to provide your overseas licence. If your overseas licence is not available, or in some circumstances upon VicRoads’ request, you can provide a letter from either:

the issuing country’s consul in Australia where the consul has verified your licence details with the issuing country’s licensing authority

Study materialTo prepare for your test you need to study the Road to Solo Driving handbook. The handbook is available in English and 4 other languages (Chinese – Mandarin, Vietnamese, Turkish, Arabic) and can be purchased from VicRoads online bookshop, VicRoads Customer Service Centres, RACV offices, some newsagents and bookshops.Test vehicleVicRoads does not provide vehicles for drive tests. You need to ensure the vehicle you will be using meets the conditions of the vehicle allowed for driving tests. See About the Drive Test.Knowledge testThe road law knowledge test is available in a number of languages:

Albanian

Macedonian

Somali

Arabic

Persian

Spanish

Cambodian

Russian

Turkish

Chinese (Mandarin)

Serbian

Vietnamese

English

Sinhalese

If you do not speak one of these languages VicRoads can provide an interpreter at no extra cost to you.Returning your overseas licence & permitWhen you are issued with a Victorian driver licence you do not need to surrender your overseas driver licence or permit. The overseas driver licence or permit will be returned to you.For more information click here……….